Eastman inquiry stalls after legal team sacked

There has been a dramatic twist in the inquiry into the murder conviction of David Harold Eastman after he sacked his lawyers and demanded the inquiry head step aside.

Eastman is serving a life sentence in Canberra's jail for the 1989 murder of Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Colin Winchester.

The inquiry, led by Justice Kevin Duggan, is considering 19 terms of reference ranging from Eastman's fitness to plead at his original trial to potentially new forensic evidence about residue from a rabbit shooting gun that had allegedly been in the boot of his car.

Eastman appeared at today's hearing by video link from jail to tell the inquiry that he would be representing himself.

Almost immediately he clashed with Justice Duggan who had to repeatedly ask him not to interrupt.

Eastman was concerned Justice Duggan's questioning of his former barrister John Harris about his availability for the case, if circumstances changed, would trespass on his right to privacy.

Eastman also told the inquiry he was concerned about a perceived apprehension of bias from Justice Duggan.

His concern is that a key member of the team assisting Justice Duggan also worked on the Miles Inquiry into his case in 2005.

That inquiry dealt with Eastman's fitness to plead at his original trial.

"I am entitled to apply to the Supreme Court for a writ of prohibition," he said, after accusing Justice Duggan of failing to respond appropriately and asking him to stand down.

"You have continued to sit for three months without ruling on this issue."

Disqualify

After a series of discussions, Eastman packed up and left the room where he had been taking part in the hearing.

"I can use my time more productively by filing an application to the Supreme Court," he said.

Counsel-assisting Liesl Chapman told the inquiry the man had a low-key involvement and no contact with anything not now on the public record.

She also told the inquiry his work had been confined to terms of reference not associated with the original inquiry.

Justice Duggan has formally refused to disqualify himself.

He told the inquiry Mr Eastman's assertion that he could be inclined towards the same result as the Miles Inquiry because of the association with former staff had no foundation.

"I may or may not agree with Justice Miles," Justice Duggan said.

"I must exercise my own independent judgment."

The inquiry is effectively stalled until Eastman lodges his application to have Justice Duggan removed.

But staff working on the inquiry are continuing their research.

Today the court heard there were around 7,000 pages of evidence and police and inquiry staff were also working through more than 300 suppression orders on documents associated with the case.

Ms Chapman says the work also includes using modern technology to enhance some of the video surveillance from the existing evidence.